A Thousand Questions
by Derpy Organism
Summary: Dakarus Obarel hails from Kebleshan, a Separatist world. He turns out to be a skilled pilot, meets many influential figures, has a girlfriend, a stable life in the Empire, until he quits with his girlfriend, and defects to the Rebel Alliance. What will become of him?
1. Chapter 1: Exposition

In the middle of the sweltering sun's rays, manual labor is being done.

Not much for worker welfare there.

I am there, in the heat of the mid-afternoon, falling into the rhythm of picks scraping away at the scorched ground. I sigh, staring up at the clear skies of Kebleshan. It's perfectly clear, with only the occasional bird chirping as it flies away.

Did I tell you who I am? Dakarus Obarel. Told you that this is my job?

I'm a miner working for the Imperial governor of Kebleshan. On a 24/7 basis, I pound away at the ground, stopping only for a short break. I know nothing about my past. All I know is that I'm here, I have nothing to do except for pound away at the ground, and talk to my friends. Or what counts as "friends". My fellow teen-miner Athagos is severely injured from a boulder tumbling onto his body, which gives him respiration problems. He has big dreams - get to an Imperial military academy to serve the galactic order that delivered the galaxy from the Clone Wars.

Strangely enough, I have the same dream. If only I can end the monotony of my life and get to - where - _anywhere!_


	2. Chapter 2: Tarkin

"Hey, a Lambda-class shuttle!" I yell as I smash my pick in a fellow laborers' back. I do believe he dies. So it goes.

"Ha, you've done your research!" Tureis says.

"Why the hell do you think this shuttle is here?"

Silence, except for a boulder smashing into his form. And there can only be one answer. I race towards his limp body, with blood streaming down his face. I realize that he's not moving. No time for last words, I guess. If that's how simple death can be, it can happen to me any day. So it goes.

Finally, the shuttle lands. I quickly glance at it, realizing that this is no ordinary inspection. The shuttle is painted in a striking black scheme, and when the ramp opens, a probably high ranking Imperial steps out. His looks are what strike me first. Hair dark with some grey streaks, in some strange shape. He has a prominent chin and impeccable footwork as he steps down. The head officer here quickly steps to attention and bellows, "Governor Tarkin of the Outer Rim!" We all do nothing. Examining us, Tarkin tells us that it is an honor to arrive at a place where we work for barely anything at all, yet we scrape by because of the joy we get from serving the Empire. Then he narrows his eyes at the officer as he says more proactive safety measures must be taken to ensure that less of us die. Abruptly, the officer pulls out a pistol, but he is too late. A stormtrooper clad in shiny white armor blasts him first. Tarkin eventually says that he would like to take some of us onto the shuttle, pointing to Athagos and I.


	3. Chapter 3: Game On, Tarkin

My heart began bouncing up and down as Tarkin led Athagos and I onto the black shuttle. Upon the doors automatically closing, I stared at Tarkin's face as Athagos' knees began trembling. Tarkin smiled at us. "Children," he started. "Actually, teenagers, Governor Tarkin, sir." I interjected. That made him smile more. "Your former inspector has noticed your skill at the mines," the governor continued. _What_ did _I even do?_ I wondered. "How about you two apply for...an Imperial military academy. That will ensure that you are doing the most that you can for the Empire. Objections?"

My heart screeches to a halt. _Objections? Why would I?_ "Well, Governor, I have no objections whatsoever to your generous offer. Where can I sign up?" I say.

"Me too. No objections, sir." Athagos chirps in.

"Very well. Tomorrow, make your way to the main square. From there, you will each be subjected to vigorous six-month preparation to see if you have what it takes."

Game on, Tarkin.


	4. Chapter 4: Training

Six months of rigor.

Of pain.

Until there's nothing left of myself.

Searing heat rips through my body, the very thought of Coruscant making me sick. _What did Tarkin really want with me?_ The physical exercises I barely pass, but my real joy is in piloting. I hit the simulators every day, flying old V-171 craft, Clone Wars-era starfighters, and Ghoc-Industries 720 ships. Flying the real thing is no different as well. Just takes some getting used to.

So here's my daily schedule. Really shits me.

0430: Stumble out of slumber.

0500~0700: Preliminary exercises. Maybe hit the books as well.

0700~01100: Main exercises of the day. Do this for a week and I become ripped. I'm not.

Rest of the day: Devoted to getting to Coruscant's academy...somehow!

Sorry for the really short chapter. I haven't posted for weeks, I've been busy with school and all that good stuff. So here's a quick bomb.


	5. Chapter 5: Acceptance

*Update: I'm pounding away at my keyboard, so here's an extra chapter.

*Also: This story is rated M for a reason. There will be crime, violence, profanity, etc.

I'm hunched over a rectangular desk, racking my head. Six months have passed, and holy shit, I'm tired. Application tests today, I'm really tired. I already said that, damn! Either way, back to the tests.

So there is your test, one thousand points. 400 points devoted to tactics and quick thinking in battle, 400 for basic intellect, and the remainder in advanced calculus. I'm sure the calculus will go down, this is all bullshit for me, I know this!

After the test: I'm just sitting here. Athagos (remember him?) is next to me, finishing up and submitting his work from his datapad. He opens up a conversation.

Athagos: Hey, Dakarus, you think you get in?

Me: Yeah, easy as cake.

Athagos: Where 'ya think you go?

Me: My dreams are on Coruscant. I've prepared, every single day since we met Tarkin. But I think I'll end up, like, on Lothal, maybe Arkanis.

Athagos: Cheer up. Go for a nightclub after this?

Me: I've never been to a nightclub...but maybe?

Athagos: Yeah, shut up, the proctor is coming in!

Me: whispering I'm quiet.

The proctor, an old Republic liaisons officer, walks in. He clears his voice, slowly, dramatically. "For those in Arkanis - *inaudible*..."

"The hell he say?" I whisper. Athagos' heart is beating quickly. He's silent as hell.

"For the Royal Imperial Academy on Coruscant -..."

 _Alright. Hold my breath…_

"Dakarus Obarel, Athagos *maybe inaudible*, and Lanywe Alterf."

 _Okay. Athagos is in as well. But Lanywe? She's...eh. I guess, since we're going to Coruscant, we have to know her and shit like that._

After the proctor dismisses us, I walk over to Athagos. "Dude, we made it! Coruscant! Galactic City! An actually stable life!"

And then he's all, "yeah, I'll go ask Lanywe to come".

Yeah. My life has changed for the better.


	6. Chapter 6: The Club, Part One

So luckily for us, Lanywe accepted our offer. The two of us, we've had our disagreements at times. She's from the city, had a stable life, whilst I had nothing to build up from. But she's coming.

Athagos, Lanywe, and I arrive at the nightclub, and flash fake IDs at the guard. He takes a look at mine, and says, "First time at a club, eh? Gets a little rowdy in there." I smile and retort, "Yeah, heard about it. Oh yeah, there's a guy behind me, he's _anxious_ just to get in here, meet the ladies, have a shot of jet juice. Better take care of him." Once we are in, we notice the ambiance. Mostly natives of Kebleshan, some outsiders. I have some blue stuff, whatever it is, and the others have a shot of jet juice. Not enough to send them into mental breakdowns, but enough to stimulate them. Mostly, we just talk about what we might do at the Academy and after. Serve our five years, and then just leave, ready to be called on by the Empire at a moment's notice, our training in our blood. When Athagos goes to the restroom, it's just the two of us left.

"So, what about you?"  
I was looking down at my cup. "Say, what now?"  
"I meant, what you might do. Be a mechanic? Pilot? See you fitting in there nicely."

"All I ever wanted to have was honor. However I might get it, nothing will stop me from having a sense of fulfillment.

"But really, I just want to get joy from serving. Not for the pay, not for killing. I believe in something greater than myself, Lanywe."  
"The Force?"  
"Yeah. The Force."

We talk for a little while, until I sense my chance. I walk around to her side, and look her in the eyes. Eventually, I kiss her full on the lips. Despite our differences, there's nothing that stops us, or, more specifically, me, from pinning her to the wall and kissing her from there. Athagos steps out from the restroom, and notices me. He grins and sits back for an ale.


	7. Chapter 7: The Club, Part Two

*So before I start out with this chapter, I am going to include Lanywe a lot more now, since Dakarus and Lanywe are now a thing. At least in here.

*Still rated M. You'll see why.

So I'm still at the club, with Lanywe, Athagos sitting back with his ale. I tell her, "I can find a better place. Where it'll just be...the two of us."

"Yeah, of course."

I walk over to a guy who seems in charge, and ask, "Hey, can I get a room? For like, until eight in the morning?" He tells me it's no problem, and I hand over a pile of credits. I go to the specified room, and then Lanywe follows suit. We undress each other, and then the night begins. Mostly, we're making out. She's groping my nuts, I'm wrapping my hands around her breasts. We never seem to run out of energy, until three in the morning, when we are too tired to do anything else but sleep.

At seven, I wake up. Lanywe is still next to me. She stirs, and wakes up.

"So, that was quite a night," she starts out. "Do this again sometime?"  
"Yeah. Sometime later."


	8. Chapter 8: The Club, Part Three

*Quick note about uploading chapters, I should be able to do this throughout the week, (almost every day)! I should be able to do this on Mondays, Thursdays, Fridays, Saturdays, maybe Sundays.

* Rated M, as always.

"So, Lanywe, didn't expect to meet up again so quickly," I begin.

She's a beautiful young woman, blonde hair, slim, attractive figure. Shorter than I am as well. "Same here. Same place, right?" she inquires of me. "Yeah, same place, just gotta check in."

We go in the nightclub and first things first, book a room until nine on the morrow. From there on, just like last time. Right now, we're still dressed. I reach under her shirt but on top of her bra, and I lay my hands there, until we start to undress. My crotch goes into her pussy, in and out over and over again, while we are on the bed. She keeps moaning, and saying, "Kriff, yeah! Feels so good…" When all of our energy is depleted, from making out and having sex, I lay on the bed, panting. We sleep later on, locked in an embrace. There's nothing more that we can want from each other, except for each other's company. We complete each other, fill in the empty gaps that the other has. Simply, we are perfect together. She's such an amazing person, interesting, intelligent, beautiful. Nobody can compare to her. Plus, just having her around makes me less on edge, I used to be extremely on edge all the time. So I suppose that helps.


	9. Chapter 9: Culture Shock

*Update: Now I can upload chapters on Sundays without problems. Enjoy this chapter.

*Short chapter today. Will work on a longer one, might upload later than usual.

When the transport finally arrives for us to get to Coruscant, it feels like a whole new beginning. Lanywe, Athagos and I board the transport, and on entering hyperspace, we all grin. We're on our way to learn to serve the greatest galactic regime ever set in place, and to enforce its law.

Upon entering Galactic City, I have a severe culture shock. Why, the greatest city on Kebleshan would only take up 10% of the industrial zone known as The Works. But enough of the ad nauseum culture shock. Planets like Jelucan and Kebleshan are considered underdeveloped, especially for Separatist worlds. When we land at the landing pad, an Imperial checks our credentials. As expected, we pass through unimpeded. Soon, after the superintendent gives a short address about serving the Empire, glory, valor, and all of that bullshit I want to achieve, we receive our room assignments. I'm with Athagos and a guy from Naboo, an ideal front line soldier. Training begins the next day, damn if I pass.


	10. Chapter 10: Simulation

*Again, quick note before the chapter begins. Very long chapter, this one is. Very long.

*Also I'm trying the First Person POV for multiple characters. Enjoy.

 **First Person POV (Dakarus)**

I felt somewhat alienated, out of place at the academy. I had remarkable skills, but nobody got closer. But I _was_ an outcast already, I had dealt with that shit before. Well, I only had my roommates and Lanywe to be with. So not completely.

Well, until we got into a piloting sim.

We were divided into two teams, Empire and Pirate. The pirates were given YT-2400 freighters (in the sim, of course) and the Empire was just given TIE Fighters and Interceptors, symbols of the Emperor's reach across the galaxy. _Well, if I want to get used to flying TIEs, I'd better start practicing,_ I pondered. So I chose the Empire. Naturally. My roommates and Lanywe were also on my team. So it went.

There were tons of hazards. Asteroids, enemy fire from capital ships, and shit like that. Each side also had three capital ships: _Imperial I-class_ Star Destroyers and some pirate ship I didn't know what the hell was. But we had to get on.

I gave an order to split up, go against Imperial protocol. I could feel the dissent of our trainers in my mind, _no, go in head-on._ But if I knew one thing, it was that tried-and-tested methods sometimes didn't work. And then? Athagos finished my thought. _"And now we get on with it,"_ his voice scratching over the comms.

Whoever was on their team was having a field day. Some fools on my team went in a single line, willing the pirates to go at 'em head on. _Damn._ Three TIEs down in five seconds. Not very good rate for us, at least. I decided to meet them head on, as they expected me to, because then it would surprise them, somewhat. Usually people set really obvious traps and don't expect you to fall in. Well, I gave them the false sense of security that they wanted. My fingers were glued to the fire buttons, constantly firing, so that at least one shot would hit them. And soon they began to fall like a house of cards.

 **First Person POV (Athagos)**

The thing about Dakarus, was, that he always had the element of surprise. Around him, _he_ gave the orders. And opposing him? No pilot would ever expect to get through him. I watched as he tore apart an entire capital ship solo, by making them activate their forward deflectors, and then taking them out from the rear.

And where was I?

Hanging out near the asteroids. Dakarus gave me orders to pick 'em off at leisure, since he would drive them towards me. I accepted wholeheartedly - I wasn't the best of pilots, but an accurate shot. And boy, did Dakarus do his role. Every ten seconds or so, some pirates were being driven towards me, and the two of us made mincemeat out of them. "Nice shot!" he yelled through the comms as I made quick work of a YT-2400. "Thanks, soon we'll be even!" I responded. "Oh no, I took too many down, what with that capital ship! Choke on my twin ion engines!" he retorted. I groaned. He was impossible sometimes.

 **First Person POV (Lanywe)**

When we were flying, Dakarus always drove them towards us to pick them off. He had a bit too much responsibility, I felt, within our group. He agreed, so he then told Omega Group (including Athagos and I) to take out that final capital ship. Great plan he had, take their engines out, but maybe he was overestimating the quality of our pilots - not so great, to put it simply. I told him that we weren't great pilots, so he told us to cover him as he went in. Within two minutes, he came boiling out of the ship as it went in flames. We had won this game too easily. I don't know how we'd have won without him.

 **First Person POV (Trainer #1)**

That boy seemed like an ideal Imperial pilot. Daring, obedient. Intelligent. But he wasn't the most obedient of cadets. When the Empire won, most of us in the control room groaned. Not because the Empire lost, of course, if one side won, then they must have had a qualitative advantage. But this time, the pirates lost disastrously.

And it only went down like that because of cadet IS-122.

Or in layman's terms, Dakarus Obarel.

That boy was getting too good for our taste.


	11. Chapter 11: Perfect Cadet?

*I should do more long chapters. That'll help me out a bit.

*Check out catandkaraforever's profile here on . He makes really great fanfics, and I strongly recommend that you read them.

Now to the story.

Training

Basic Combat Training never varied. Always running until you lost consciousness, shooting targets until you nailed three in a second. Within a month, we were perfect stormtroopers, blind in loyalty, obedient. But we didn't WANT to be stormtroopers. Whether we wanted to be on command track, TIE fighter pilot duty, mechanics, there was one thing that united us. We wanted to have a special role within the Empire.

First Respite

Eventually, we had our first large assignment, worth eighty points - cue the distraught gasps. Based on several combat prompts, we had to individually create responses, with diagrams, maps, etc. For mine, I received possibly the hardest: _You have a massive invasion force, but a large fortress that is impenetrable is obstructing your path. How will you destroy the fortress?_ Well, I would say that the simplest way is to use the commandant's ego against him/her. By forcing them to take their forces out of their safe pillboxes, their forces will be exposed, and can be taken out once far enough away from the fort. Once it was tested on a combat simulator, it worked flawlessly. That idea actually wasn't mine. Rather, a tactic often used by the Republic during the Clone Wars, specifically the 512th Legion, led by ARC Commander Warlord, and ARC Captain CT-88-7988, or "Seventy Nines", after the clone bar here on Coruscant. General Grievous had pinned them down, until his ego proved to be his downfall, leading to the fort's capture and use by the Republic, now, of course, the Empire.

After I received perfect marks for this year, I wanted to go see Lanywe, but once I checked the Academy rules, I realized that it was strictly prohibited to date fellow cadets. _Shit._ I guess that would be the only rule I would break during my three years. Hopefully the only one.


	12. Chapter 12: Year Two In A Nutshell

*Question: Once I finish this out (about Chapter 25~30), then what should I write about? Clone Wars seems like a good option. Your guys' opinions?

The Second Year

I had finished the first year with top marks, the highest that the academy had had as of yet. My roommates and I were still slogging through the second year, though. Our third roommate, Brisft, was on thin ice for beating two kids up. It would be perfectly acceptable here if it weren't for whom those two kids were - sons of Imperial generals. _Factionalism. Doesn't the Empire encourage against that?_ I thought. I couldn't reach the answer myself, so instead, I turned to Lanywe.

"Yeah, I know that Brisft beat those two military brats up. What about it?" Lanywe asked me. "Well, yeah, see, I just don't get it. Isn't factionalism discouraged in the Imperial hierarchy?"

"Well, yeah, but get this, their fathers - maybe even their mothers - are in the Imperial brass. Their kin get special privileges and shit. Lay a finger on them and you're chopped liver. Useless, at least to the Empire."

"Oh."

"That clear it up for you?"

"Yeah, thanks. See you for command class?" I answered.

"Yeah, see you there."

I make it back up to my dorm. Brisft is asking where I went. "Oh, just met with Lanywe."

"Your girlfriend?"

"Yeah, get this, we were talking about your predicament. And she says that it's because of their parents. Bullshit all the way, they get special privileges."

"That makes a lot of sense. Thanks, by the way."

Meanwhile, the numbers of cadets began to dwindle. Or more should I say, _decrease dramatically._ I would conservatively estimate half of the cadets here had dropped out. Incredible, I know. Well, that meant less competition.

There were no large assessments. I could feel the trainers preparing something large for the final year. Just what, I didn't know.


	13. Chapter 13: Big Week

*Finalized! I'll be working on a Death Watch story after this one concludes.

*Please drop reviews for my chapters so far. I'll make sure to give you a shout out.

Big Week

They told us it would be the final week.

Marking three years of the Academy.

Rigorous simulations, all cards would be stacked against us.

That made me scowl. If they knew my weaknesses (namely physical strength), then they would stack me up against the biggest guys, the guys who could bend heavy weights without breaking a sweat. Expect me to get pounded.

But I wasn't counting on that. Simply.

The first day of aptly named "Big Week", I was called in for a piloting sim against some other guys. That was a milk run, even myself stacked against all four of them at once. The day concluded with some tactics training.

Everything seemed easy, until the final day. Unfortunately, I had to go spar with a 200 cm tall guy. He did seem eager to beat me up. He was given a mace, I was given a saber. He slowly walked towards me, and I backed up. _Just_ survive. _That's vital._ I told myself. Then he dove. I barely blocked his mace with my saber, and then the duel ensued. He wasn't having the easy victory that he expected. Rather, he was in a world of hurt. I kept evading his moves, and parried his blows to go right back at him. The duel kept raging on for over ten minutes. Until I leapt on the top of a crate, spurring him on to attack me. He dove with sheer ignorance, and I "killed" him easily. He seemed visibly shaken from his loss, that's all I can say. He let out a bestial roar, befitting of a savage, and walked back. Looks like Big Week _is_ over.


	14. Chapter 14: Massacre

So it goes, I graduated first of the class, Athagos and Lanywe narrowly behind me. Eventually we had our first assignment: travel to a rebellious world and destroy the insurrection. So we went.

A beach world, just like Scarif, this world was hellish. I was flying a TIE Interceptor to obviously, intercept pirate ships and destroy them. But there were none. _Where the hell are they?_ I was on the verge of cussing until orders came in. _Destroy the villages on the ground._

 _What?_ I bunched up my eyebrows quizzically. _Why attack the villages?_ But I still flew in towards the villages, like I was under a spell. The others kept shooting the civilians down, razing their homes, firebombing the last of them. But I just froze up. I could never bring myself to bring down the trigger fingers. I just didn't have the balls.

When I flew back to the Star Destroyer in orbit, I received heavy flak from my commanding officer, Lieutenant Dyste. He told me that he had expected more from a Coruscant graduate, and he told me to also report to the medical bay for a mental analysis. The droid there told me that I was diagnosed with PTSD (Post Traumatic Stress Disorder). I sighed. I could never fight anymore. But did I even want to? Could I bring myself to disobey orders a second time?

I met up with Lanywe, and after kissing her, I got right down to business. We were in her room, that she shared with one other woman. That woman, I heard was in the bridge, so we were safe to a degree. I told her about my diagnosis (she laughed maniacally) and how I couldn't click the trigger buttons. I couldn't bear with the guilt. Then she began listening. "So what do you want me to do about it, huh?" she asked. "I don't really know. When all of the cards are stacked against me, there's not much I can do."


	15. Chapter 15: Desertion

*Update: First reviewer will get a shoutout!

"So Lanywe, I don't know what the hell I'm going to do here."

"Talk to Athagos then. He should know." Lanywe answers.

So I talk to Athagos. He doesn't know either. So I just gather them up in Lanywe's room. "So what's the problem?" Athagos asks. "Look, the Empire is taking a huge fucking toll on me. And before you call me conceited, I'm sure it's taking a toll on you as well." The two of them nod. "So, we got to collect ourselves, maybe go somewhere." I continue. Lanywe nods, and adds, "I can't take the Empire any longer. So let's just go off."

And we're off.

I sign for a shift on the bridge during the morning. The other two do so as well. Dyste notices that the three of us are on the bridge at the same time, and points that out to me. "So, you three are all on the bridge? This is...surprising," Dyste says. I bunch my eyebrows together. "Well, sir, we all...are...friends, so we decided to do shifts at the same time to help each other out more…?" I answer nervously. After he leaves, we chatter about our plans.

We take a shuttle down to the planet. I then say "sorry" to the pilot and I shoot him with a lethal shot. He's dead for sure. So then I go to the nearest Hub. So then, we do go to the spaceport and take off for a planet.


	16. Chapter 16: Returning Home

*Short chapter for this. Longer one goes up soon.

*First one to review that HAS EITHER AN IN-PROGRESS OR COMPLETED STORY WILL GET A SHOUT-OUT.

Kebleshan was barely different from when we had left said planet. As we landed in Hangar Bay 12, nobody stopped us, since we were on an Imperial craft. We snuck through to the main square, and into Lanywe's old apartment that she had lived in with her parents. As it turned out, the parents weren't home. After I brought myself to ask, she casually replied that they were dead. Not that she cared much about her abusive parents anyways. We decided that our best course of action was to get rid of our Imperial uniforms. Because of our relationship, Lanywe and I decided to share the same room, while Athagos took another. The three of us eked out a meager living all together by working at a restaurant, all three of us.

"Lanywe, how about we go to a club? Like before?" I prompt.

"Yeah...how about it?" she responds.

I flash my now real ID at the guard. Lanywe follows suit. We sit down, and begin talking about memories of the past. After we begin downing drinks, stormtroopers enter the club in an attempt to search for us. When they arrive at our location and ask for IDs, I draw a DC-17 heavy blaster pistol and shoot the commander. When the others shout "get him!" I blast the others. Guess I'm now a rogue.


	17. Chapter 17: Who Are They?

*Sorry for not posting as frequently. My grades were slipping...I mean, currently _are._

I do believe that stormtroopers are particularly stupid, and that helps when I'm running away with Lanywe. We turn down an alley, with the stormtroopers going the very other way. We storm into the apartment block, where Athagos is ready to escape. I grab my dual DC-17 heavy blasters and prepare for a fight. Or, should I say, they aren't mine. I _know_ that they belong to the revered Commander Warlord of the 512th Legion. I just feel that they make me _stronger_ somehow. But back to the escape. I begin shooting at stormtroopers all around, while Athagos uses a heavy carbine. Lanywe hurls thermal imploders at the stormtroopers. Eventually, the situation grows dire. Scout troopers mounted on speeder bikes arrive and attempt blasting us. Seems like we're outnumbered 10 to 1.

Athagos is injured in the arm, but he keeps shooting. I destroy a fuel canister, sending some stormtroopers flying. Finally, after Lanywe and I are injured as well, an Imperial AT-DP walker comes on the scene, and begins shooting. We lie, almost dead, barely conscious. _What a way to die. The Empire always wins._ Until I hear ship engines, bringing spirit back to myself.

Some Incom T-65 X-Wings begin battering the walker, and it falls. A U-Wing lands, and a grown man with a carbine yells as us to come. We stumble on, amidst a hail of laser fire. _Who the hell are these guys?_

On the ship, that guy incites a conversation by asking us who we are, and what we were doing, standing up against the Empire. I decide to speak for ourselves.

"We're former Imperial cadets. From Coruscant. We opted to escape, and that's what we did. Why did you come here?"

"A mole in Imperial command. That's all I'll tell you, since that's all that I know," he replies. "Want to come with us?"

Gee, hell yes.

"Yavin 4," the pilot announces. Yavin 4 hides behind the gas giant of Yavin, Yavin 4 being a jungle moon. _Why this place for a base?_

I meet with a woman in white robes at a holotable. I scowl as she stands, waiting, _but for what?_ Finally, she begins. "We hear that you have been quite the rebellious type. All three of you, I meant to say." _Okay._ "We would like to enlist you in our struggle against the tyrannical Emperor Palpatine." _Woah._

"Ma'am, don't you mean _Sheev?"_ I suggest, using Palpatine's first name. "Yes, whatever you like to call him." I glance back at the others, and they nod. "We'll join your rebellion." Sure that was simple.


	18. Chapter 18: Meeting Phoenix Squadron

*Dropping a review would really help me out! I'll include a shout out for the FIRST THREE (3) people that drop a review for any one of my chapters!

*Including some characters from Star Wars Rebels, so...just saying.

The rebels made us welcome at their base, that's mainly it. All of them (or at least, _most_ of them) were amiable. A lot of them joined because of their families or friends being massacred in cold blood, so the reason I defected was a rarer one. I had to bunk in a cavern with a lot of other guys, which didn't really help me out. We weren't exactly the Rebel Alliance yet, just the starting foundations. I hadn't seen any action, until Mon Mothma summoned me to go on a supply run to one cell - the notorious Phoenix Squadron. She explained that this was a dangerous solo mission, that I would be taking an A-Wing. I nodded and set coordinates for their base on Atollon.

Upon landing, I saw this tall guy with a blindfold, while he was on his knees. Looked like he was meditating, too. I walked past him. Next, I noticed a teenager boy, maybe a few years younger than I, with a lightsaber clipped to his belt. He ignited it, showing an emerald green blade. "Hey, I don't know you - stand back."

"I'm a fellow rebel pilot. I'm in General Dodonna's unit. Thanks for the bombers, too." I curtly replied.

He eventually deactivated his blade and extended his hand. "I'm Ezra. I'll introduce you to the others." _Okay._ "I need to talk with Commander Sato and Captain Syndulla. I have something that they need for...an operation. As in manpower"

He leads me into the hangar bay, showing a few other A-Wings and a VCX-100 light freighter. The _Ghost._ I had heard about it when I was a cadet, it had torn Imperial ships, even Star Destroyers, apart. A female Mandalorian, maybe his age, was repairing the engine compartment. "Sabine, this pilot just came. He needs to get to Commander Sato and Hera." _"Aarghh,_ I'm kinda in the middle of something here. The paint won't settle!" the female Mandalorian who now had a name responded. "I'll leave you with your paint bullshit," I say. Ezra walks with me through the facility. A purple Lasat eventually emerges and pounds Ezra flat. "Hey, kid, who is she?" the Lasat points towards me. I scowl. "Excuse me, Lasat, but I'm a _guy!_ I'm in General Dodonna's unit." "Oh, alright," the Lasat replies. "Zeb, we're kinda in a hurry." Ezra interjects. _Finally that guy's gone._ I finally make it to the command center, and I salute Sato. A female Twi'lek, who must be Syndulla, is standing right next to him. "Commander Sato, Captain Syndulla. Lieutenant Dakarus Obarel reporting from General Dodonna." I introduce myself.

I'm briefed on the mission. I have to fly with Phoenix Squadron, which has two new arrivals from Skystrike Academy, to knock out a blockade over this one place. There's a few Star Destroyers. "Scary, eh?" I sarcastically ask the Mandalorian. "We went up against that blockade _twice._ It never falls. Get ready to prove yourself, kid." _"Excuse me,_ I'm older than you." I grit my teeth. "Didn't seem like it."

I'm talking with some of the pilots when we pull out of lightspeed. One of them, Wedge, he's been here for a week or so. And when we pull out, _boom,_ there's a gigantic fucking blockade, comprised of, oh, shit, eight (?) Star Destroyers, _Imperial-I class._ This might as well be a bloodbath.

I open battle without Captain Syndulla giving the order, which incites yells from her. I couldn't care less, and I begin tearing apart the swarms of TIE fighters that emerge from the Star Destroyers. Meanwhile, Wedge is getting intel from the enemy flagship's command bridge, about the blockade strength, weak points in their defenses, etc. He starts to make a run for the supposed weak points, which I understand, him wanting to end this bloody blockade, but I yell for him to abort. Sure enough, the intel was fake. He emerges with a damaged engine. He either way, isn't going do much more by hanging around, lest he get himself killed. Meanwhile, I dive for the gigantic energy reserves in the unfortunate spherical shape on one Star Destroyer.

Those energy reserves blow up in a rather artistic way, and people, I'm sure, are dead. The Mandalorian girl, from one of the many gunner's positions on the _Ghost,_ whoops a cheerful victory yell. But I curtly tell her to shut up, because I have to focus. Soon enough, I decide to give a direct order. Sure, Captain Syndulla is my superior, but her tactics here are disastrous. Not that I'm blaming her, but I, having a royal ego (with good reason), decide to tell her what to do.

" _Ghost_ , head for the planet surface, and complete the run. Let the TIEs chase after you. I'll take the Star Destroyers," I begin. As soon as the words sink in, I can sense resentment. "Excuse me, but _I'm_ in charge here," Syndulla curtly responds. I sigh. Poor tactics will be the end of us. So I intentionally go in for the command bridge of the enemy flagship, hoping to perfect a trick I recently learned.

As soon as I am about to crash into the command bridge, I aim my nose down slightly, towards the bridge deflectors, and enter lightspeed, heading for the nearest singularity. The aftershock sends the Star Destroyer into a catastrophic destruction, with all the metallic chunks being torn apart. It emits a final groan and cry as the metal is ripped. I return, and I see the _Ghost_ , having finished the supply run. The final Star Destroyers, with better judgement, flee the scene. We have reason to cheer, but I remain silent. This may have been my biggest accomplishment, but at what cost? Wedge was injured, many rebel pilots dead. But I pull together, tell myself to shut my internal suffering up. This is a war. We chose our sides, and we gotta stick with it. Doesn't really apply to myself, really.

When we return to base, I thank the Phoenix Squadron for their hospitality and strength, and I go back to Yavin IV.


	19. Chapter 19: Seppies on Kebleshan

*Inspired by Star Wars Rebels Season 3 Episode 5, "The Last Battle".

*Reminder, the first person to review with at least one story in progress will get a shout-out!

After my mission with the Phoenix Squadron, I was told to go on a special assignment with Lanywe and Athagos on Kebleshan, of all places. _But why there?_ My question was answered when the junior senator from Alderaan, Princess Leia Organa, strode forward. She sure looked regal, but I only knew her as a good-for-nothing politician. As were my views for a lot of people. The princess said, "You three are familiar with Kebleshan, as it was your homeworld, am I right?" We nod simultaneously. "Well, we've received reports of Separatist revolts against the Empire. Apparently they have old Clone Wars-era weaponry. We need you to assist them, and to recruit them to our cause."

As we are led into the hangar bay, I see my A-Wing, but I'm not taking it. Instead, I'm taking this newer craft, a T-65 Incom X-Wing model. Seems like a pretty nifty ship. My astromech droid, SP-1C, an old spider droid, slides into the socket like a glove and he chirps. "No, we're going to Kebleshan." Another inquisitive chirp. I don't need to read the on-screen translation, so I instead say, "Some Seppies are in the mountains _somewhere._ Just need to find them and help them out." With that, I accelerate and enter lightspeed, Lanywe and Athagos in their X-Wings close behind.

Before I get anywhere, SP-1C is quite an amazing droid. Being a DSD1 dwarf spider droid and all, his past was pretty checkered. I'm tying myself as close as possible to Commander Warlord, as this droid is rumored to be his from the Clone Wars, he disabled it, thought it was cute, and over the course of the war, updated it. The head is a bit too large, but that's fine. I repurposed the laser cannon for a spark projector, albeit, a _big_ one. He also comes with rocket boosts, and all sorts of shit. If one thing, he's loyal, helpful, and a little moody. But that never comes in the way of anything!

We exit lightspeed, and there are three Star Destroyers embroiled in a battle with two Separatist _Providence-class_ dreadnaughts. The dreadnaughts seem to be winning, but that's merely an illusion. The Star Destroyers are clearly winning the battle on closer inspection. So we have to go in and help. I've already prepared reinforcements, three Blockade Runners. They burst out of lightspeed, and begin distracting the Imperials. On the bridge, it must be pandemonium for the Imperials. The Imperial officers must be going Base Delta Zero, or in layman's terms, insane. They were winning this battle alright, but now rebels have to come? The Imperials attempt escaping, but I order the Blockade Runner to cut off their only escape route. From there, they are fucked all right. After they are destroyed, I begin a landing sequence in the mountains, near the Separatist base.

"Base" is too much a word for the location. More like an outpost in the mountains. It's bitter cold, and clankers are prowling. They take me to their commander, a super tactical droid in the main compound.

"Hello, General...excuse me, what is your designation?" I inquire of the droid.

"Ah. Yes. The rebel pilots. I have been expecting you," the droid pauses. "General Stryker, at your service." This droid seems like an expert tactician. But of course, he is a super tactical droid for a reason. We gather at a long obsidian desk haphazardly laid out. He notices me transfixed by it, and says "courtesy of Count Dooku". But of course, all the more interesting. Stryker tells us that his droid forces are at full power, somehow, despite them seeing service during the Clone Wars. Unique, since they would be at low power. Stryker continues.

"The Empire is undoubtedly sending a fleet to destroy us. We must find a way to drive them out of the system." _Okay._ "General Stryker, I would suggest using your contingent of droids to destroy any ground walkers the Empire would send. Do you, by chance, have any proton cannons?" Athagos says.

"We have several J-1 proton cannons, as well as ammunition reserves." _So this will be easier than anticipated._ Abruptly, a droid tells Stryker that the Empire is on the way.

There are seven Star Destroyers, each launching twenty AT-AT walkers and 30 AT-DP light-medium walkers, 72 TIE fighters, 15 Imperial Troop Transports, and 8 Lambda-class shuttles. "We are kriffing fucked, General," I tell Stryker. He only nods. Because we are. That's basically -

 **Separatists/Rebels**

 **Galactic Empire**

7 tanks

140 AT-AT heavy walkers

N/A

30 AT-DP walkers

80 Separatist fighters/3 X-Wings/8 _Havoc-class_ gunships

504 TIE Fighters

1 MTT (no use found)

105 troop transports

3 _Sheathipede-_ class shuttles (no weaponry)

56 Imperial Shuttles

2 capital ships (damaged)

7 capital ships

500 droids, 3 rebel pilots, 1 super tactical droid

5,000 stormtroopers

5 J-1 proton cannons

288 artillery pieces

I dash for my X-Wing, and Vulture Droids begin launching to intercept the Imperial hordes. Unfortunately for the Imperials, their AT-DPs are immediately taken out by droideka fire. However, the AT-ATs take out 10 droid fighters before they can launch. Our proton cannons have to be ready, locked and loaded, so we have to buy them time.

I soar in the skies, a suicide run for the walker's neck. I fire all four laser cannons, and pull up at the last moment. That walker's head falls off, burning. The droids begin taking the fight to the Empire, with Stryker in a command AAT tank. The stormtroopers begin charging in, but our artillery is finally ready. The walkers get miserable ends. I attempt calling in for reinforcements, but the signals are jammed by the Empire. More trouble comes when one of the dreadnoughts is destroyed in space, at the cost of one Star Destroyer. I would later learn the reason for the destruction of so many Imperial ships, because of the incompetence of the Imperial admiral in command. What Stryker didn't tell me, however, was of his reserves, of 50 elite BX-series commando droids. They pour in from a good ambush position and join the fight, with rocket launchers, sniper rifles, and vibroblades, as well as blasters. The stormtroopers' main weapon, the E-11 blaster, is inadequate to deal with the thick armor of the commando droids. The stormtroopers get cut down easily. For a good while, we seem to be holding the Empire back. Well, if it weren't for their numbers.

Night falls, and everybody seems to be awake, but unwilling to fight. The Imperials here were probably expecting a milk run, they could overrun us easily. But it didn't turn out that way. Rather, they're in a world of hurt, not really what they had expected. Stryker and I strategize for a bit, and we decide that the best course of action, based on our defensive victory today, is to hold the line until we have to break it. I'm not counting on it falling, though.

When day breaks, the Imperials seem to have their blood up, and mount another attack. This time, they're just rushing, their captain at the front. Somehow their ranks don't seem depleted, so during the night, they must've received reinforcements. We fire everything that we've got to knock 'em out, which we do in due time. That's their basic strategy - they attempt to overwhelm us, but they can't. As the second night falls, I wonder what's in store for us, until I see a TIE Advanced x1 starfighter land somewhere near the Imperial position. We're in no position to scout it, so I put it off.

As we prepare for a third day of defense, we see what must be a kaleidoscope of swirling colors on ground. Stormtroopers, Imperial Royal Guards, even, are charging, trampling over each other to get to their deaths. Behind all of them, I see a masked figure, clad in black armor. He holds a lightsaber with a crimson blade. _Sith. Darth Vader,_ I realize. The head of the Imperial Military is here to fight us? We're screwed for sure.

With a single thrust of his arm, Vader knocks out a squad of droids, and concocts a slow-ass walk over to us. In sheer fear, I turn for my X-Wing, and hurry in the cockpit. One of the Vulture Droids is too slow to go into the skies, and Vader crushes it with a finger pinch from a distance. By now, I zero in on his position, and begin blasting him. He blocks one blast with his hand, and it ricochets off towards the dirt. The others after that seem to end him. _Too easy, right?_ Until he lifts a huge boulder up and hurls it at droid positions. _Nothing will kill him, if we have it!_ Realizing that, I relay message to Stryker and to my fellow rebels, and Stryker orders a retreat and evacuation. The droids run, only to be pursued by Imperials. The only droids fast enough to escape are some of the commandos and Stryker, while all of us three Rebels escape. We helped the Separatists for a while, but what was it for? The Empire now has an iron fist on it. Sighing, I contact Princess Leia for my next assignment.


	20. Chapter 20: First Battle of Sullust

*Trying a new font here, hope you like it! (sarcasm)

*WE SURPASSED 200 VIEWS! Thanks for all of the support!

*Reminder: First three (3) people to review get a shoutout! Again, thanks for the amazing support by reading this! It really means a lot to me!

I stumble through rebel headquarters, until I see Lanywe in a Special Forces uniform, motioning for me to come. So I do.

"What do you want?" I ask. "I wanted to tell you that…I was transferred to the 612th Alliance Special Forces Platoon, as well Athagos. The two of us won't be seeing each other as often now," Lanywe glumly speaks. It takes me a moment for the words to sink in, and then I move on. "Alright, keep in contact, then. Send Athagos my regards."

Just at that moment, I receive word that I'm to travel with the 612th Special Forces Platoon (I jinxed myself) and a group of X-Wings under my command, and to report to the hangar bay immediately. As I follow these orders, I see my signature black X-Wing, as well as a few other X-Wings, white and red, their pilots next to the craft. I glare at them, and one of the pilots says, "Commander…excuse me, do I know you?"

"Hell no you don't. Now get to work."

I order them to paint their X-Wings grey and/or black, to signify their belonging to my squadron - Eviscerator Squadron, and to paint the insignia of Eviscerator Squadron. I come across as hard-line, a guy who likes getting things done. Meanwhile, I look at the pilots. A guy from Coruscant. A girl from Raxus Secundus. Another man from Christophis, and a guy from Naboo. We're all humans, as it's known that I have some xenophobic nuances, or better yet, speciesist nuances, but not enough to stop aliens from joining the Rebel Alliance, as I'm just a little part. I'm briefed on the mission, and it seems hard enough.

"You'll be heading to Sullust, where we lost contact with a patrol, due to a massive fortress manned by the Empire," General Dodonna speaks. My gaze hardens. I have a rookie squadron, and I'm taking them into the midst of hell and back. Hopefully.

That just so happened to be the ringer - _hopefully. How can I get out with them alive?_ Just then, the General ends the briefing, I must've been ignoring him. Before I get into my X-Wing cockpit, Lanywe stops me, and we share a tentative kiss, as this may be our last day alive, and we sure as hell want to cherish it. After we break it, I tell her that I love her, and that whatever happens, we'll be together. She nods, and dashes into her U-Wing transport, one of the few heading on this mission. I smile, and head into my X-Wing. Upon checking in, the girl in my squadron insults me for being in an active relationship. "We're meant to fight, not to hug and kiss somebody else, right?" I shoot back, "well, should I assume that you are a faggot, since you're not in a relationship? No? So shut up before I sell you off for good money to the Hutts. Yeah, they'll appreciate a random whore in their live." After that, the girl shuts her bitchy mouth up. We take off for Sullust.

As we enter atmosphere, heavy flak rakes our ships. Some of our bombers begin bombing the fortress, but to no avail. It seems as if there is a thermal shield protecting the fortress. "Fucking shit!" I begin hollering various expletives through the comms. Gritting my teeth, I go in for a strafing run, but that does nothing. Eventually, TIE fighters emerge from the side of the mountain, and we are locked in a heated air battle. Meanwhile, one of the U-Wings, the one I know is holding Lanywe and Athagos, attempts landing, but is raked by heavy fire, managing to crash-land. _Shit._ One U-Wing downed. What's more to come?

The U-Wings that land manage to create a "box", or defense perimeter. As the Imperial hordes advance, our forces pick them off at will, or, that's what we wish had happened. The TIEs are giving us a hard time in the air. Not that they're great pilots, but _there are just so many kriffing TIE fighters!_ The Empire seems like they're not giving up here. Soon enough, I realize the main threat, not the TIEs, but rather, AA batteries. I chase after one battery, and take it out. But all around me, the front is collapsing. Our infantry has to retreat to a ridge eight miles due south, and in the air, we only have but several ships left. I couldn't really care more about my squadron, honestly.

Upon landing, I contact Senator Leia Organa. "Senator Organa, we have sustained heavy losses on Sullust. We are at seven ships left, and we have retreated from the fortress. It is impenetrable. The infantry has been unable to break through, let alone break through and knock out the shield generator." At that, Organa's eyes widen. "There were shields? I was unaware of that." "Thermal shields. Nothing gets past those." After conferring with the infantry commander, I pay a visit to the injured.

I'm appalled to look at the injured. Blood is stained on the injured troopers' bodies. It's unlikely that they'll live to fight another day. What shocks me even more is seeing Lanywe in there, injured. I kiss her, and ask her what happened. She tells me that she tried going for one of the air vents, to hurl explosives down the shaft. Unfortunately, she was hit by a blaster bolt in her leg. I leave the tent, in disgust.

My squadron seems to be suffering from PTSD. So I decide to motivate them. "Hey, men, ladies, it was your first combat experience. Anybody whom says that they weren't afraid in their first battle is a kriffing yellow-bellied perjurer. It's normal for this. I remember when I first saw action, with the Empire. On this one planet, I think a moon, really, I was ordered to kill innocents. They were running away from us. Although I was in a TIE fighter, a young girl stared at me. She must've been so afraid of us. She was gunned down by my wingman. He just fired on her, with no hesitation, like he had no remorse whatsoever. I was so sickened by what I was doing, that I deserted with two friends. Profound experience of mine.

"But that's why we _fight,"_ I continue. "For those who can't fight. Hope that you all understand." I leave.

Meanwhile, the Empire doesn't seem to be idle. Their long range artillery bombards us from here, so we simply have no choice but to leave, but orders are to stay on Sullust for the time being. I'm yelling at Organa to let us evacuate, until comms switch off abruptly. "No communications with Rebel command, sir," one of our soldiers informs me. We seem to be stuck here for a long time.

After Lanywe recovers from her bullet wound, we decide to spend some alone time together. First I ask her about her recovery, to which she replies, "It went well. First it was painful, but...I had you there. So it wasn't as painful as I thought, overall." Then she, in turn, asks me about the fighting. "I'm glad you weren't there to see it. The Empire bombarded us, but we couldn't do anything in return. All we did was hole up in our foxholes, our ships just not getting off the ground, in fear of them becoming hit. So they just stayed there. Luckily, no TIEs came over. They must've overestimated our AA defenses, which, by the way, are minimal." She smiles, and we share a kiss. After a minute, I suggest we go somewhere else. She nods. Ha, she knows what's up.

After two hours, we conclude. "So, this was a welcome distraction from the fighting," I start speaking. Lanywe nods. "I'll be in active duty soon." After five minutes of making out, our tongues venturing the already-explored mouths of each other, I leave Lanywe to herself, and make my way to my squadron.

"Commander, did you just bang your girlfriend here?" the guy from Coruscant asks me, more commonly known as Procyon. "Yes, as a matter of fact, I _did._ " He just stands there for a moment, and then he asks for lascivious details, to which I decline with the finger, and a "fuck you, but have a nice day".

Imperial artillery constantly bombards us. We are completely helpless against the shells thudding into the earth, volcanic rock showering into our positions. Maybe help will never come. At least I hope so, but likely not.

Maybe I spoke too soon. Is that a U-Wing? A few?

No. A few TIE Strikers...shit. I'll go for cover.

Abruptly, Rebel ships emerge in the atmosphere, and I get a message from Leia Organa. "Relief has come. Evacuate Sullust." Finally! "Come on, men! We're leaving!" I shout. I clamber in my X-Wing, hoping to cover the transports. A transport gets shot down, but the rest successfully evacuate to Yavin 4.

Upon coming to Yavin 4, I notice a huge layer of debris orbiting the moon. Upon asking what happened, the pilot of one of the transports tells me that there was an Imperial superweapon known as the Death Star in orbit, threatening to destroy the Alliance. They had already taken out Alderaan, so it was vital that the Death Star become knocked out. In the end, we prevailed, with a rookie taking out the superweapon. I take it upon myself to meet this hotshot.

"So, Red Five, are you? Luke...Skywalker?" I ask this pilot.

"Yep, that's me." So now he has a name.

"Nice meeting you. By the way, how'd you take the Death Star out?"

"I guess lucky torpedo. Can't be sure...I just...felt it, you know?"

Lanywe comes over, without even the slightest limp that would reveal her injury. We immediately begin passionately making out, irking Skywalker out by, I don't know, a little bit. Not his fault that he had never had a girlfriend before. But we're back home, and by hell, a lot will change, I guess.


	21. Chapter 21: Leisure

*Review for a shoutout! It will help the reviewer and myself out a fair bit.

*These chapters will take a lot longer now.

For the entirety of the week, us rebels decided to take a break from fighting the Empire. And for good reason, as the Empire was tied up with pirates elsewhere in the Outer Rim, because the pirates had taken advantage of the Empire's setback here at Yavin. _Autonomous time, eh. I kinda need that for today._ Upon seeing Lanywe, I kiss her, and tell her that I need to talk to her about something. Consenting, she walks with me towards an empty corridor. Then I decide to put my plan in action. I kneel down in front of her, and I begin speaking.

"You mean everything to me. Love for you makes me blind. Love is what makes us perfect together. Throughout my life, you have showed so much support for me when I was down, and I could never reciprocate in turn. Without you, life would be completely meaningless. Lanywe Alterf, will you marry me?" I reveal a ring I picked up from one pilot in another squadron, concealed in a small black box. I already have mine on, but my pilot gloves cover them.

"Yes!" Lanywe basically screams, which attracts a few looks. With an urgent fervor, she slips the ring on, and locks me in an embrace, crying into my chest. I notice that pilot who gifted me the ring in the hangar bay looking at us, flashing me a thumbs up. I reciprocate, and return to the passionate embrace. When we finally end, we kiss each other with more passion than ever before. We stay fixated in that position for ten solid minutes. After we break the kiss, we jointly decide to talk to our troops.

My squadron members are doing questionable acts. Procyon, Eviscerator Three, is staring into space, likely fantasizing of the day that he will lose his virginity. Talitha, the only female in my squadron, Eviscerator Four, is "fixing" her damaged X-Wing, despite ruining it in the process. Sonade, the guy from Christophis, is loudly shouting for a fifth of jet juice. Asfen, the pilot from Naboo, is actually doing something productive, and is staring at Imperial vehicle schematics.

"Everybody, please come over. I have some important news that needs to be shared," I announce. Complying, the rest of my squadron comes over. "So recently, just now, really, I got engaged." The guys look at each other, and appear passive, neither supportive nor unsupportive. They don't understand, I guess, until they begin whooping and cheering. Guess they really cared.

As the sun sets, Lanywe and I sit on a ledge overlooking the wide, thick forests of Yavin IV. "Sometimes I look back on our first days on Kebleshan, and in the Empire. That was, what, four years ago? So little time has gone by. Afraid too much is happening," I tell Lanywe. "Don't worry. We'll always be together. No matter what." We kiss in the beautiful sunset.


	22. Chapter 22: Yes

"Athagos, you know the drill?" I ask.

He nods. "Yeah, man, hurl two rings at you."

"Good."

"Also…" I prompt.

"Oh yeah, give the speech. I think?"

"Yeah."

Fellow rebels begin filling in the ceremonial hall in our base. Eventually, after what seems to be an eternity, Princess Leia informs the audience that there's a "special event" to be held soon. As in now, really. I appear on the stage, while I wait for Lanywe to walk down the aisle. Soon she appears. Despite being in her Special Forces uniform, she appears even more radiant and beautiful than ever before. For this, I don my typical pilot's uniform, helmet cradled in my left arm. Athagos then emerges from one of the stone pillars, and asks for quietness.

Everybody shuts up.

"Fellow soldiers, officers, whoever-of-royal-lineage, technicians, pilots, and whoever I may be forgetting, we are gathered here today to celebrate the joining of two lives, my friends, Dakarus Obarel, and Lanywe Alterf. I have known Lanywe since all three of us enrolled in the Imperial academy, Dakarus since we were but boys. They are great people, and a rare people to run into, in fact. They have decided to commit themselves to each other for the rest of their lives. But before I ramble on and on to no end in sight, I'll cut to the chase.

"Dakarus Obarel, do you take Lanywe Alterf as your wife?"

"Yes." I answer.

"Will you place her at the top of all your priorities, as the one thing you care most about?"

"Yes."

"Alright. Now, Lanywe Alterf, do you take Dakarus Obarel as your husband?"

"Yes!"

"Will you place him at the top of all your priorities, as the one thing you care most about?"

"Yes."

"Now, I pronounce you husband and wife...wait. Am I forgetting something?" Athagos sarcastically remarks. "Oh, yeah, wait, the _wedding rings._ Wait. There we go." Athagos reveals two wedding rings, and hurls them at me. I swiftly catch them, and hand one to Lanywe. " _Now_ I pronounce you husband and wife." Athagos closes. Everybody in the hall cheers, and Lanywe and I kiss passionately. "Congratulations, my friends," Athagos says. "Thanks." Lanywe and I say simultaneously.


	23. Chapter 23: Christophis

*Sorry for not uploading as many chapters. Been working on this.

"This is Eviscerator Leader, reporting in."

"Eviscerator One, reporting in. I'm not a fan of these missions."

"Eviscerator Two, reporting in. We have to go?"

"Eviscerator Three, reporting in."

"Eviscerator Four, reporting in. Why are we going?"

"Hey, hey, y'all should report in like Procyon here. Be succinct. No need for extra speech." I was trying to teach this concept to my squadron for about two weeks now, but it didn't work out.

"To answer your question, Sonade, we're going in to disrupt a supply convoy on your homeworld." _Poor guy._ Although he can be an obstinate drunkard, he's got a bit of a soft side. Which is reserved for Christophis. We jump to lightspeed, not expecting what will happen.

Christophis I've never been to, but I've heard that it was the site of a huge battle at the outbreak of the Clone Wars. Many of the crystallite buildings are toppled, and it looks pretty deserted. We still go in. That is, until Sonade spots something on the main road.

"Imperial walkers, at point-seven. Let's give 'em hell."

We move in. These newer walkers, AT-ST-type, have thinner armor compared to the older AT-DPs, but I'm assuming that they are more reliable, and thus, are being used. They don't seem prepared, and they are torn to scraps. Nothing appears on our scopes for another hour, until I locate a massive tower, bristling with pillbox-befitting machine guns and a quad SAM missile launcher.

All of the Imperial defenses open fire at once. I fire, but to no avail. "Seems to be some ray shield protecting that damn tower!" "Affirmative, Eviscerator Leader." I think while yelling a string of profanities, until I reach a solution. "Somebody has to be brave enough to risk getting blown up on the ground."

Sonade naturally wants to, and with his knowledge of the planet, I think he's a great candidate. So I order him to set his ship to autopilot, with his astromech droid flying. "Get ready to jump."

He jumps.

Heavy carbine in hand, he blasts a stormtrooper that emerges from the safety of the flak tower. He begins blasting away at the door controls, until the blast doors finally open. From then on, I'm not sure what happens, but he's not coming out after one hour, nor has he contacted us. With a heavy heart, I sigh, and I give an order. "He's not coming out. We can't sustain this fire any longer. We have to leave."

"No!" Procyon yells. "Eviscerator Three, we have to. It's what he would've wanted! For us to save ourselves! To continue the war!" "Okay, okay," Procyon finally gives in. All ships enter lightspeed, and when we are in the safety of lightspeed, we all force ourselves to be upset over Sonade. He's not returning. Ever.


	24. Chapter 24: Load, Aim, Fire

*Writer's block, sorry for not posting as frequently.

After returning from Christophsis, I storm off to Lanywe's quarters, which she shares with me. The room is deserted. Perfect. I grab my datapad, and quickly jot down a note -

 _My life has been immeasurably painful, and I'm just ending it. To whomever reads this next, don't try saving me. I'm down the path already. It's not about the war. It's about myself as a person. I can't deal with myself. I'm departing from the path of thorns that life is. Goodbye._

 _(signed) Dakarus Obarel_

I pull out my pistol, load it up, aim calmly at my temple, and the world blacks out. It's over, I suppose.


	25. Chapter 25: Recovery

*After a long time, we have finally surpassed 300 views! Thanks to all 300 or so of you who took the time to click on my story, it means a lot to me!

I don't know where I am.

I'm...I'd never think I'd say this, but I'm lost.

It like the reality I'm in is out of a dream. What I reach out for dissipates upon my touching it.

Looks like this is death.

 _Loneliness._

Abruptly, the darkness engulfing me begins tearing apart, revealing tiny shreds of lightness, and, before I know it, I am pulled from the darkness.

"What the…" I'm at a loss for words. My ears are ringing, and I feel a massive scar on my left temple, ending at the bridge of my nose. Upon getting on my feet, I wonder what happened. It takes my wife to tell me what happened.

"When I got back from my mission, you were lying facedown on the floor. I hauled you over to the medical bay." But then she hits back with a question of her own. "Why were you on the ground?"

"I...I…" I am at a loss for words. Until I breathe and tell her. "I...shot myself in the temple. I felt depressed over what went down with Sonade." Lanywe's eyes shoot wide open. "What happened?"

"Sonade didn't come back from Christophsis."

"Depressing, for you, I guess."

"Yeah. Yeah, I guess." I stroke her hair, and kiss her.

I return to the hangar bay, where my squadron is moping around. As I stare at the lush jungles of Yavin IV, a guy slaps me on the shoulder. I turn around, and there stands Luke Skywalker, lightsaber clipped to his utility belt. "Hey there, Commander," Skywalker speaks. "Woah, what's the scar for?" he says, pointing at my left temple.

"Mark of a suicide attempt. I'm not saying much more." I sigh. I'm not in the mood to tell anybody.

Eventually, I am called to the command center. I duly walk to the command center, where Princess Leia stands. I scowl, but she ignores that. "Commander, have you noticed how the Empire hasn't been fighting us recently?"

"Yes, I suppose you can say that."

"Well, it's time to harass the Empire again."

"Where?"

The princess reveals a holoprojector, and then pops up the image of a desert world with rings around it. "Geonosis."

"Count me in."

Our battle group of starfighters and bombers take off from Yavin 4, hell bent for Geonosis. It feels liberating to be in a cockpit again. Maybe I'll finally get my revenge for Sonade.


	26. Chapter 26: Space Battle over Geonosis

**IMPORTANT:** My Death Watch story idea is on the shelf. Either PM me or drop a review to suggest ideas for another Star Wars story idea. I'll make a pie chart to figure out what I should do next.

Also, please remember that I can't post everyday, or, rather, as frequently as possible. These chapters are taking a lot longer to write since I have writer's block, and a lot more things to do for myself. So sorry for not posting as frequently. But, still, if you want more content from me, please drop a review, or favorite, follow it. Or rather, all three! Thanks for the tremendous support, and may the Force be with you.

Upon exiting hyperspace, I'm itching for a fight.

Which is good, as the Empire has a massive fleet here. I count seven Imperial-I class Star Destroyers, as well as three newer "Impstar-Deuce" Imperial-II class Star Destroyers. Upon noticing us, the Imperials release all of the TIE fighters in their arsenal. Knowing that 72 TIE fighters are stored per Star Destroyer, and there being ten Star Destroyers, I can ascertain that there are roughly 700 TIEs, precisely, 720. But I love those odds.

"Lock S-foils in attack position!" I order.

I charge straight for one of the power reserves on a Star Destroyer, and a few shots from my laser cannons take care of it, sending the Star Destroyer into a catatonic end. Afterwards, I mainly focus on the TIEs. Our Blockade Runners are providing cover for our starfighters, broadsides showing, firing back at the immeasurably larger Star Destroyers. I'm in the heat of the battle, Skywalker to my prow, and Red Two, my friend Wedge Antilles, to my starboard side, until Skywalker breaks formation and lands in the hangar bay of one Star Destroyer, to wreck stuff. I follow him, while Wedge covers the two of us. I leap out of my X-Wing, my customized electrified, lightsaber-resistant truncheon in hand, dual pistols holstered, as I attack the stormtroopers that Skywalker has not for the time being. Afterwards, I use a shortcut I learned about from my cadet days, to get to the command bridge. Skywalker follows, and soon enough, we reach the command bridge. He ignites his blade at the Imperial captain, while I pick off all of the others on board, and point a pistol at him. The captain draws a blaster at Skywalker, about to fire, but I whack his head with the truncheon, killing him instantly. After Skywalker thanks me for the save, we tamper with the controls in the data pits, eventually controlling the Destroyer in a way that it will only fire on other Star Destroyers. With that, we run, escape into our X-Wings, and call it a day.

Upon returning from the mission, I have a strange feeling of joy. I was finally able to fly, and then, to make the day better, meet with my wife. Maybe life is turning out better.


	27. Chapter 27: Hoth

Important: **My BS uploading schedule**

By the way, you guys are the best! Already over 400 views! Alright, to my BS uploading schedule. I can only upload now on weekends (may be week days for y'all). Sometimes I can upload during the week, but that's only if the opportunity presents itself. But thankfully, school lets out on December 16 for three weeks, so I'll be working on these chapters a lot, expect three a week, maybe two if I don't have enough time or if writer's block hits me.

 **Also:** I'll have more lascivious lemons in this story. In fact, one is in play in this chapter.

 **Prologue:** Over the next year or so, us rebels suffer heavy losses, despite inflicting enormous casualties on the Empire. Sometimes we are so wrapped up in our victories that we can't comprehend defeat. Until we shift bases to the frozen world of Hoth…

Just a month after we move to Hoth, General Rieekan gets word that the Empire has spotted us, and evacuation is to commence. I begin contemplating how we're going to win the war when the Empire is superior to us in every way excluding power of will, until every alarm in Echo Base goes off. The rest of my squadron, nearby, is reeling in shock. The Empire obviously has spotted us, but this soon they attack? War's not fair.

It takes me a minute to suit up for battle.

A minute too long, in fact.

Procyon, who just so happens to be my tail gunner in our T-47 snowspeeder, is already making himself feel at home in the rear seat. I have to sprint into the pilot's seat to be on time. From then, I have to power up the speeder, ready all weapons, direct the speeder towards the gaping entrance/exit, and take off. As it turns out, we are a fraction of a second late.

I wonder what the opposition is like while speeding at hundreds of klicks per hour, until red laser fire teaches me. _Damn it._ Several AT-AT heavy walkers are marching across the snow and cold straight to Echo Base, as well as a multitude of AT-ST scout walkers. For a moment, I am speechless, until I open my dry mouth and give an order to hit any vulnerable spots on the walkers. When I am prompted, I tell them -

"The neck. The roof. Rear vents, with a well-placed shot. The alloys on the 'ankles'. Why, y'all never learned walker schematics?"

And so we target those locations.

I attack the neck in a kamikaze run, as if I'm heading straight to end my and Procyon's lives in one sitting. With the two laser cannons mounted on the forward section of the speeder and the tail cannon all firing at a fixed location, we are giving the Empire a hard time. That's, however, until the Imperials come in full force. More walkers, even TIE fighters are strafing us. My snowspeeder is grazed by a TIE strike, but even such a small impact sends the systems of the snowspeeder going haywire. We crash into the snow, and I immediately open the cockpit, while Procyon exits in a crazed fashion. We immediately decide to run to Echo Base, which we do, running to the trenches. I grab a spare A280 blaster rifle from a dead trooper, and begin firing at advancing snowtroopers. But when all is lost, I instinctively dash towards the Echo Base hangar bay, sliding in the cockpit of my X-Wing, and flying off towards the rebel fleet.

The fleet only appears to be unscathed from the beating we received, since our planetary ion cannon on Hoth fired at the Imperial fleet quite a few times, disabling the Star Destroyers temporarily. I dock on the Mon Calamari star cruiser _Liberty,_ and immediately I begin sweating. Not even changing into a non-combat outfit helps. This cruiser is so damn _humid!_ Made for the comfort of the Mon Cala, of course. I make my way towards all of the meshugas I hear in the distance, where I come across my comrades drinking heavily. Now, I'm not a drinker, let alone an alcoholic, but I am damned tired, so I gotta drink. I chug a cup of jet juice in one shot, bringing me a surge of adrenaline. I sit back and relax, speaking to this pilot from Jelucan, Thane Kyrell of Corona Squadron, as well as Wedge. Unfortunately, Skywalker hasn't come yet, same goes for Commander Han Solo and Princess Leia Organa. Thane and I discuss the way the Rebellion is going, until the conversation shifts to me, something I have limited knowledge about. He asks me soulfully about Lanywe, and I tell him that the two of us are happy together, we're doing fine. However, upon my asking him if he had any active relationships at the time, he sighed, asking me if he could confide in me. I tell him anything for a fellow comrade. He tells me about his girlfriend in the Imperial Navy, and how it's troubling him. I frown, but I tell him that the Force will guide the two of them together. He sighs, not believing in the Force. So it goes.

Suddenly, I spot Lanywe, beaming at me. I excuse myself from Thane, and he walks off to speak to some guys from Ord Mantell. I embrace my wife passionately, and she reciprocates. I ask her if she wants to spend some time together, and she nods. We head off to our assigned quarters.

Lanywe tells me that during Hoth, she was fighting off the Empire as an infantryman with the rest of her unit. Upon realizing the plight of her unit, she led them in a fighting retreat towards Echo Base, from where they got onto transports and to here. That's just about exhausted our conversational topics, but we're happy together. Until I get an idea to do something we haven't done for a year.

After an amorous round of kissing, our tongues exploring the wet, already travelled caverns of each other's mouth, I remove my shirt, revealing my bare chest. Lanywe removes her non-combat outfit, revealing her black bra, which I remove. After removing the last of my clothes, I can't help but notice my massive dick, erect, of course. That reminds me - I reach for a condom, which I place on my penis. Fully prepared, I eye the entry spot, and I begin thrusting, causing a few moans from the two of us. "Faster! Harder!" Lanywe begins yelling, to which I comply, ramping up the speed of my thrusts. I begin to squeeze her breasts, to which Lanywe moans from the sudden pleasure. Suddenly, I'm about to burst, as well as Lanywe. We end up cumming at the same time, and we collapse on the bed together, exhausted from our ordeal. I glance my head over at her, and say, "I love you and will always." Lanywe simply replies, "I know", and the two of us slip into a quiet sleep, me embracing Lanywe.


	28. Chapter 28: A Not-Really Old Friend

*Thank you guys so much for all of the support! We're already at 466 and counting views, it means so much to me! You guys are the best!

While the fleet stays at Sullust, I head to the mess hall to meet up with Athagos, who I haven't met up with recently. And so I meet him.

"Hey, man!"

"Dakarus! What's it been, a year?"

Sitting down, we talk about how life's been since, and that BS. He tells me plenty of stories from his being in the Rebel Alliance Special Forces, while I tell him about being a pilot, and a few stories about that. After he apparently realizes that this is all BS, he says, "Hey, wanna meet up with some of my friends?" I think. "Yeah, sure."

"So, hey guys, this is Dakarus. He's a pilot." Athagos tells his little band of friends, comprising of three dudes and one girl. They all mumble a "hello" and begin talking about the new V-15 datapads. When time comes for me to offer a few comments, I say, "Yeah, these datapads aren't as good as the X-10 types, especially because of the frame reload. " In concord, the others nod their heads and break up the discussion, turning to a few drinks. I abstain from the drinks, and sit back, smiling as I watch the five of them drinking and laughing.

At 2100 hours, I can tell that Lanywe is in our shared room, judging by the fact that she always is in our room by 2050. Entering, I spot Lanywe in bed, waiting for me. I step over, and lie down next to her. As we make out, our tongues waging a war for dominance in each other's mouths, I strip Lanywe of her top, revealing her black bra, which I remove, while she removes my clothes. When we are naked, I place a condom on my cock, and I begin thrusting in her, producing moans from the two of us. After a short while, Lanywe cums, unleashing a hell of a load on me. Not stopping, I continue the thrusting. That is, until, I finally cum, and I flip her over for the next part. I begin cupping her breasts and I also begin sucking on them. "Oh! Just like that!" Lanywe yells. I soon cum, exhausting the two of us for the night.

"Night. Love you." I tell Lanywe as we settle in bed, still naked.

"Same here, love you too."


	29. Chapter 29: Endor

**Important:** Only a few chapters left until the end! I need you guys to suggest new story ideas! Thanks for the support.

 **Important:** WE DID IT! 500 views on this story! You guys are the best!

We rebels are called to a briefing, which I suspect is important, being the first briefing, in, like, forever. I am proved right, because I see _every member_ of the Rebel Command brass in the room. The odd mix of weary troopers and pilots with the vibrant newcomers provides an exhausted atmosphere, as if we veterans won't survive. After everybody settles in, Mon Mothma steps in front of all of us, and begins.

"The Emperor has made a critical error and the time for our attack has come," she begins. "The data brought to us by the Bothan spies pinpoints the exact location of the Emperor's new battle station. We also know that the weapon systems of this Death Star are not yet operational. With the Imperial Fleet spread throughout the galaxy in a vain effort to engage us, it is relatively unprotected. But most important of all, we've learned that the Emperor himself is personally overseeing the final stages of the  
construction of this Death Star." This final line causes stirs of worry. Myself, I know what the Emperor is capable of. _Merely his presence can galvanize the entire Death Star crew to work harder, quicker...and we_ will _die once this thing is completed._

"Many Bothans died to bring us this information. Admiral Ackbar, please." Mon Mothma finishes.

Pointing to a holographic display of the half-completed Death Star, Admiral Ackbar, an imposing Mon Calamari, steps up to Mothma's position.

"You can see here the Death Star orbiting the Forest Moon of Endor. Although the weapon systems on this Death Star are not yet operational, the Death Star does have a strong defense mechanism. It is protected by an energy shield, which is generated from the nearby forest Moon of Endor. The shield  
must be deactivated if any attack is to be attempted. Once the shield is down, our cruisers will create a perimeter, while the fighters fly into the superstructure and attempt to knock out the main reactor." Ackbar speaks huskily. After General Madine and the others brief us, I dash to the hangar bay of _Home One,_ the command ship of our fleet, until I am stopped by Lanywe, serving as a Pathfinder on the ground, who embraces me. "I'll always love you," she tells me. "Always."

In lightspeed, I wait for General Calrissian to give the order to exit hyperspace, which he gives. However, something seems off. Nobody's getting any reading on that damned shield! As soon as I hear the order to pull up, since the shield is somehow still up, I swear. "Shit!" For two good reasons - the shield is still up, and we're heading straight into the entire Imperial Starfleet. And TIE fighters are coming out from all angles. It's a trap!

I order Eviscerator Squadron to head straight for the command bridge of the _Enforcer,_ an Imperial I-class Star Destroyer. Along with the assistance of Liberty Group, comprised of multiple Y-Wing bombers, the _Enforcer_ is written off. But one downed Star Destroyer is sustainable compared to our losses - one squadron's worth of bombers. _At this rate, there won't be much left of us. And the rest will die._ Gritting my teeth, I think about Lanywe while executing a barrel roll and destroying a TIE. _Is she still down there? Is she looking up at the sky, thinking about me? Because I sure am from up here._ My thoughts are postponed, however, as I feel something happening.

I glance towards the Death Star, which suddenly emits a green laser beam, destroying the Mon Cala ship _Liberty_ instantly. _Damn it!_

Three minutes later, the _Nautilian_ is vaporized.

The hordes of TIE starfighters prove deadly to us, taking our ships out, and targeting our larger ships. In response, I take Procyon and Talitha to head for the TIEs when they're caught out in the open, with my distraction. I fly directly into the fray, taking a single TIE Interceptor down while four others head after me in hot pursuit. That's when the two strike, taking each one out one by one. Enemy fire whizzes over my ship, reminding me all over again of how powerful the Empire is. All seems lost, and on top of that, we lose somebody.

Talitha is screaming through the comms, she's been hit, and is about to crash land in _Home One._ Before she can do that, however, a TIE locks on to her X-Wing and fires a volley of green laser bolts, vaporizing her. The remaining three of us circle around back and shoot at that starfighter, knocking it out. We are swearing, screaming. We lost Sonade already before, why another dead? But the suffering lasts only momentarily as alarming news comes.

"The shield is down!"

 _The hell?_

Banking around a Star Destroyer, I pursue two TIEs as they charge to destroy our fighters, vaporizing them. With that, I follow the _Millennium Falcon_ into the gaping maw in the Death Star.

Wedge and a few other guys are following me in the cramped labyrinth of pipes and wires. Of course, TIEs are chasing after us to destroy us. Upon entering the massive reactor core (not covered whatsoever), I fire off all eight proton torpedoes in my arsenal, and turn back to escape. The _Falcon_ soon catches up, and I feel something...if the last thing I ever see is the Death Star, then I'm damned.

We survive.

Comms are exploding. Not really. Everybody's cheering and all, and I join in with a victory whoop. But in my heart, I know that the war is not over. Then my thoughts turn to Lanywe. Is she looking up at the sky, at the remnants of the Death Star? Does she think I'm dead?

Do I think that she's dead?


	30. Chapter 30: Jubilee

**Important:** 30 CHAPTERS! I can't believe it! Thank you guys for sticking with me for so long!

 **Important as well:** I can't upload for a good week or so. Just a precaution. And yes, more chapters will come after this one. Cheers!

 **Also:** Happy holidays! If you celebrate Christmas, here's a present for you guys and girls out there - a lemon. anticlimactic silence Enjoy.

Landing on the forest moon along with the other rebel ships, I step on the unfamiliar, forested terrain. While walking around, I screech to a halt, being swept up in an embrace. Immediately, I know that it's Lanywe, dressed in in Rebel Pathfinder garb. I'm overcome by emotion with the embrace. I feel several pairs of eyes glaring at the two of us. When we finally stop, we turn to spot the other rebels reuniting with their comrades. We walk hand-in-hand towards the other rebels, where we spot General Han Solo and Princess Leia kissing. The two of us staring awkwardly, I pull Lanywe in for an intimate kiss.

Soon after, we spot what seems to be a treetop village. Along the way, I see the carcasses of Imperial walkers and speeders. _What's left of the Empire,_ I think, bringing a grin to my face. I am surprised by the sight that awaits us. These furry creatures are blowing horns, beating stormtrooper helmets to serve as drums, and...possibly...eating the stormtroopers? Disgusting.

Into the night, a lot of celebrating happens. Dancing around a bonfire, drinking, reunions between friends. Lanywe and I are together throughout the celebrations. Through the corner of my right eye, I smile as I observe the last two remaining members of my squadron attempting to outdrink a Wookiee, my knowing that it's just about impossible. As we continue our business near the bonfire, I can tell that she's distracted, but by what?

"Hey, you think we can...well...we don't need to be _here..._ so how about it?" As soon as Lanywe utters those words, a smile crosses across my face, and I give a nod, followed by us stumbling over towards a hut.

After I cover the gaping entry point in the hut to hide from prying eyes, I get down on the wooden plank floor, waiting for Lanywe to arrive, and she does. I remove my clothes, revealing my rock hard cock, growing by the second. Lanywe then removes her clothes, revealing her black lingerie, which she swiftly removes, and throws herself on top of me. I make sure to place a condom on my cock, since we don't want any problems happening. I then flip her nude body around, so that I'm on top. Then I begin thrusting, as well as kissing her passionately, while using my hands to squeeze her breasts. "Oh, it's so warm and tight in here…" I say. "Oh, that's it! Keep going!" is all that Lanywe can say. Soon enough, she cums, unleashing a hell of a load on my dick, which, mind you, is still lodged up in her pussy. Soon, I'm guessing that she wants to turn the tables, so I flip her, so she's on top of me. Then we basically resume things. Finally I cum. After a final round, where she cums, and then the two of us simultaneously, we collapse, both naked and in an embrace. "I love you and will always," she tells me. "Me too." With that, we hole up in a corner and drift off to sleep.


End file.
